QinetiQ Apprentice wins at the national STEMNET Awards

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Lauren Hill, an apprentice at the QinetiQ Apprentice Training School at MOD Boscombe Down, was announced as the winner of the Most Inspirational Apprentice at STEMNET’s national Annual Awards, at a ceremony at the House of Lords.

Lauren won the award for the Most Inspirational Apprentice for her commitment, enthusiasm, dedication and natural ability to communicate her excitement about working as an apprentice.

The STEMNET Awards celebrate the individuals and organisations committed to increasing young people’s engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) by motivating them to study and enjoy STEM subjects, encouraging them to develop STEM skills and inspiring them to consider the wide variety of career options in, and from, STEM.

As a STEM Ambassador Lauren volunteers in schools to deliver a variety of different types of activities, from careers talks to workshops. She provides pupils with an amazing opportunity to see the career opportunities that can come from pursuing STEM subjects and vocational career paths and is a vital link to enable pupils to understand the world of work, from someone close in age to them.

On winning the award Lauren said: “Winning the STEMNET Award for Most Inspirational Apprentice was fantastic, and a great surprise! I got involved with QinetiQ’s STEM outreach programme in 2010 where we had the chance to interact with local schools and I took part in presenting an engineering challenge to children. During the challenge and after it was completed, I really realised how rewarding it was to inspire young people through workshops or activities and wanted to do more. I’ve since given various careers talks and workshops in local schools, the most recent being a Theory of Flight workshop, and I’m thankful to QinetiQ who have supported me throughout.”

Kirsten Bodley Chief Executive of STEMNET explains: “STEM subjects are vital for securing the future of our economic prosperity and there are calls across Government, industry and academia for more young people who are conversant, competent or skilled in STEM. These Awards celebrate the efforts and achievements of everyone dedicated to creating inspiring, challenging and enjoyable opportunities for young people in STEM. I hope that the stories of all of our nominees, finalists and winners will encourage more organisations and individuals to engage with young people about the exciting opportunities which STEM subjects can create.”

As part of her win, Lauren has received a trip to CERN in Geneva – home of the Large Hadron Collider – provided by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Notes for Editors:

A FTSE250 company, QinetiQ uses its domain knowledge to provide technical support and know-how to customers in the global aerospace, defence and security markets. QinetiQ's unique position enables it to be a trusted partner to government organisations, predominantly in the UK and the US, including defence departments, intelligence services and security agencies.